Photo By Scott Sturkol | Military equipment is shown on railcars ready for shipment Feb. 7, 2018, at the Fort...... read more read more
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Dozens of Soldiers from two Army engineer units, as well as numerous personnel with the Fort McCoy Logistics Readiness Center, completed a four-day cold-weather rail operations exercise and real-world deployment in early February on post.
The exercise, held Feb. 5-8 at the rail yard near building 2100 on the cantonment area, was an opportunity to take a regular rail-loading operation and turn it into training for Soldiers with the 397th Engineer Battalion at Eau Claire, Wis., and the 983rd Engineer Battalion of Monclova, Ohio, said Fort McCoy Transportation Officer D.J. Eckland with the Logistics Readiness Center (LRC) Transportation Division.
“Each unit was loading equipment for shipment to support overseas operations,” Eckland said. “This was a great opportunity to increase the quality of training for everyone involved.”
A classroom session began the training Feb. 5 with 89 people attending. The classroom portion was taught by a Marine Corps mobile training team from Barstow, Calif.
“The classroom training set the basics of what everyone needed to know,” Eckland said. “The real learning took place on the railcars.”
Over the course of three days, service members with each unit took turns loading their equipment on railcars. The 397th loaded 36 railcars with 65 pieces of equipment and nine 20-foot Equivalent Units (TEU) containers. The 983rd loaded 30 railcars with more than 80 pieces of equipment and four TEU containers.
“And throughout this mission training and loading process, we had temperatures consistently below zero, and it seemed like it snowed every day,” Eckland said. “But everyone came together and all personnel involved did an outstanding job with everything.”
The fact that so much work was completed in some of the worst conditions with no accidents or safety problems was impressive, said Movements Branch Chief Terry Altman, also with the LRC Transportation Division.
“With all that loading, switching of railcars, and other activity going on, it was all very successful,” Altman said.
From the earliest days of Fort McCoy’s nearly 110-year history, railways have played an important role in the post’s mission.
Whether it was transporting troops in for training during World War II, or bringing in equipment and supplies for a present-day exercise on post, rail continues to be a primary mode of transportation at the installation.
“This (exercise) was also an example of how Fort McCoy is able to execute its mobilization force-generation installation mission,” Eckland said. “Rail is one of our strategic transportation missions and these events allow us to exercise our capability.”
Some of the equipment loaded as part of the training will return to the installation later in the year as part of the equipment’s redeployment. The next railcar-loading/movement operation at Fort McCoy is expected sometime this summer, Eckland said.
Fort McCoy has supported America’s armed forces since 1909. The post’s varied terrain, state-of-the-art ranges, new as well as renovated facilities, and extensive support infrastructure combine to provide military personnel with an environment in which to develop and sustain the skills necessary for mission success.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at www.mccoy.army.mil, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
| Date Taken: | 02.21.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2018 14:20 |
| Story ID: | 266681 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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